Quetico Provincial Park Night Sky Viewers Learn Anishinaabe Astronomy

Summary: Quetico Provincial Park night sky viewers learn Anishinaabe astronomy through discovery programs and blog posts.

(left) Aurora Borealis over Quetico Provincial Park; photo by Rob Stimpson; (upper right) Haudenosaunee (known by Europeans as Iroquois) saw Ursa Major (Greater Bear) constellation's Big Dipper asterism as a bear, represented by dipper bowl, being chased by three hunter birds, represented by dipper's handle; (lower right) Anishinaabek saw Ursa Major as Ojiig the Fisher and Ursa Minor (Lesser Bear) as Maang the Loon; Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan (Ojibwe Sky Star Map), ©2012, by A. Lee, W. Wilson and C. Gawboy: Quetico Provincial Park @QueticoPP, via Facebook Aug. 28, 2019

Quetico Provincial Park night sky viewers learn Anishinaabe astronomy through discovery programs conducted at the park and through indigenous astronomy posts on Parks Blog, the web log of the park's governing body, Ontario Parks.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, Tucson, Arizona-based International Dark-Sky Association announced approval of Ontario Park's Quetico Provincial Park as an International Dark Sky Park. The northwestern Ontario Wilderness Class park had submitted an application for the dark sky designation on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020.

Quetico Provincial Park's application noted its location ". . . within the Treaty Three area . . . part of the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe people" (1.0 Application Summary, page 2). Treaty Three area references an agreement, dated Oct. 3, 1873, allowing for sharing of 55,000 square miles of territory in eastern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario between the Anishinaabe and the Government of Canada as "brothers," according to the Grand Council Treaty #3 website.

Quetico Provincial Park's application considered that the area's "rich indigenous history" continues to find significant cultural and spiritual expression for the Anishinaabe, whose historical homelands lie in Northeast Woodlands and the Subarctic. The dark sky designation encourages transmission of "indigenous knowledge of the night sky" by way of the park's discovery programs. Indeed, the International Dark-Sky Association's website page on the non-profit organization's most recently designated Dark Sky Park states that Quetico Provincial Park's annual schedule of discovery programs anticipates developing at least one cultural night sky program of indigenous astronomy.

Ontario Parks, which manages Quetico Provincial Park, has published posts on indigenous astronomy in the government agency's web log, Parks Blog. University of Sudbury Indigenous Studies Professor Will Morin and Killarney Provincial Park Observatory founder Bruce Waters guest authored the blog's Aug. 16, 2019, post, "Stories in the Stars / Pride in Our Hearts."

The indigenous astronomy of the Anishinaabek (ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯ, “people who were lowered [to Earth]”) varies from the 88 constellations that were approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1922. For example, the Anishinaabek do not see Ursa Major ("Greater Bear") or Ursa Minor ("Lesser Bear"). Instead, they recognize Ursa Major as Ojiig (pronounced: Oh-JEEG) the Fisher. The fisher (Pekania pennanti) is a native North American member of the mustelid, or weasel, family. Fishers are boreal forest dwellers whose range favors the conifers, such as pines (Pinus spp.), larches (Larix spp.) and spruces (Picea spp.), of Canada and the northern United States. They identify Ursa Minor as Maang (pronounced: MAHng) the Loon. Loons (Gavia spp.) are aquatic birds skilled in deep dives, long flights and agile swims.

Will Morin and Bruce Waters explain that Anishinaabek astronomy reflects seasonal key themes. For example, Mooz the Moose constellation dominates the night sky in autumn, the season of moose hunting in the Anishinaabek cycle of judiciously harvesting nature's bounty for clothing, food, implements, shelter and other resourceful uses. As members of the New World deer subfamily, moose (Alces alces) inhabit the boreal forests of Canada and the northern United States.

Mooz the Moose coincides with Pegasus the Winged Horse constellation, although their placements are reversed. Whereas Pegasus appears upside down in Northern Hemisphere skies, Mooz stands upright. Pegasus's neck stretches from Alpha Pegasi (α Pegasi, abbreviated Alpha Peg, α Peg), known traditionally as Markab (pronounced: MAR-kab), in the lower right corner of the Great Square of Pegasus asterism. Mooz's neck extends from Beta Pegasi (β Pegasi, abbreviated Beta Peg, β Peg), known traditionally as Scheat (pronounced: SHEE-at), in the Great Square's upper right corner.

Will Morin and Bruce Waters note star stories as integral components of the Anishinaabek world view. Star stories are interwoven with everything, seen and unseen.

The takeaways for Quetico Provincial Park night sky viewers learning Anishinaabe astronomy are that the park, designated Feb. 23, 2021, by the International Dark-Sky Association as a Dark Sky Park, provides ideal conditions for night sky viewing and that highlighting the park's indigenous astronomy is an important, stated goal of the International Dark-Sky Association, Quetico Provincial Park and Ontario Parks.

Quetico Provincial Park's designation as an International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) Dark Sky Park recognizes the park's ideal night sky viewing conditions, which encourage such nighttime discovery programs as indigenous astronomy observation; "The night sky over Quetico," photo by David Jackson: Quetico Provincial Park @QueticoPP, via Facebook Feb. 23, 2021

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

(left) Aurora Borealis over Quetico Provincial Park; (upper right) Haudenosaunee (known by Europeans as Iroquois) saw Ursa Major (Greater Bear) constellation's Big Dipper asterism as a bear, represented by dipper bowl, being chased by three hunter birds, represented by dipper's handle; (lower right) Anishinaabek saw Ursa Major as Ojiig the Fisher and Ursa Minor (Lesser Bear) as Maang the Loon; Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan (Ojibwe Sky Star Map), ©2012, by A. Lee, W. Wilson and C. Gawboy: Quetico Provincial Park @QueticoPP, via Facebook Aug. 28, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/QueticoPP/posts/1273298422832152

Quetico Provincial Park's designation as an International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) Dark Sky Park recognizes the park's ideal night sky viewing conditions, which encourage such nighttime discovery programs as indigenous astronomy observation; "The night sky over Quetico," photo by David Jackson: Quetico Provincial Park @QueticoPP, via Facebook Feb. 23, 2021, @ https://www.facebook.com/QueticoPP/posts/1750308561797800?__tn__=-R

For further information:

Grand Council Treaty #3. "Grand Council Treaty #3 Is the Traditional Government of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3." Grand Council Treaty #3 > Our Nation.
Available @ http://gct3.ca/our-nation/

The International Dark-Sky Association. Fighting Light Pollution: Smart Lighting Solutions for Individuals and Communities. Mechanicsburg PA: Stackpole Books, 2012.

International Dark-Sky Association. "Quetico Provincial Park (Canada): About." International Dark-Sky Association > Our Work > Conservation > International Dark Sky Places > International Dark Sky Parks > Quetico Provincial Park (Canada).
Available @ https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/parks/quetico-provincial-park-canada/

King, Bob. "Make Way for the Wintermaker." Sky & Telescope > Astronomy Blogs. Nov. 12, 2014.
Available @ https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/make-way-wintermaker11122014bk/

Lee, Annette S. "Native Skywatchers and the Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan – Ojibwe Sky Star Map." In: C. Shupla Barnes, J. G. Manning, M.G. Gibbs, eds., Communicating Science: A National Conference on Science Education and Public Outreach ASP Conference Series, vol.473J. San Francisco CA: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2013.
Available @ https://arxiv.org/pdf/2008.13214.pdf

Lee, Annette S.; William Wilson; Jeff Tibbetts; and Carl Gawboy. Ojibwe Sky Star Map - Constellation Guidebook: An Introduction to Ojibwe Star Knowledge. St. Cloud MN: Native Skywatchers, June 10, 2014.

Marriner, Derdriu. "Quetico Provincial Park Is Now Ontario's First Dark Sky Park." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 3, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/03/quetico-provincial-park-is-now-ontarios.html

Minnesota Science Teachers Association - mnsta @MnSTA1. "2019 Summer Native Skywatchers Educator & Community Workshop Mon. June 10 and Tues. June 11, 2019 at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College in Cloquet, Minnesota To Register: https://mnscu.rschooltoday.com/…/class_id/95325/public/1/sp/ Contact: Jim Knutson-Kolodzne at jkolodzne@stcloudstate.edu or call 320-308-5447, Jeffrey Tibbetts at jtibbetts@fdltcc.edu or Annette S. Lee at aslee17@gmail.com Guest speakers & presenters include: Carl Gawboy, Jeff Tibbetts, Jim Knutson-Kolodzne, William Wilson, Wilfred Buck, Micael Price, James Vulkevich, and Annette S. Lee . . . Classroom ready resources includes: Native Star Maps, Planispheres, Posters, Guidebook, Lesson plans, Worksheets, Videos, Curriculum Workbook, and more! Central Focus- Ojibwe, D/Lakota, Ininew star knowledge…New this year…Evening Arts programming and the Inflatable Planetarium (courtesy of W. Buck)! Lots of hands-on workshop sessions and excellent class-room ready materials!" Facebook. March 4, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MnSTA1/posts/2332126493486711

Morin, Will; and Bruce Waters. "Stories in the Stars / Pride in Our Hearts." Ontario Parks > Parks Blog. Aug. 16, 2019.
Available @ https://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/indigenous-astronomy/

Ontario Parks @ontarioparks. "The International Dark Sky Association (IDA) announced this week that Quetico Provincial Park has been awarded designation as an International Dark Sky Park!" Facebook. Feb. 23, 2021.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/ontarioparks/posts/10158480885608248?__tn__=-R

Ontario Parks @ontarioparks. "Though many people know it simply as 'the Big Dipper' (think: ladle), this constellation is typically associated with bears. According to Haudenosaunee tradition, the four stars of the rectangle form the shape of a bear, while the other three stars represent three hunters actively engaged in the hunt. Read on: https://bit.ly/2qsrG3U." Facebook. April 6, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/ontarioparks/photos/a.10150949124418248/10156695447333248/

Ontario Parks @ontarioparks. "Though many know it simply as 'the Big Dipper' (think: ladle), this constellation is typically associated with bears. According to Haudenosaunee tradition, the four stars of the rectangle form the shape of a bear, while the other three stars represent three hunters actively engaged in the hunt. The hunters’ pursuit is evident in the motion of the constellations through the seasons (the stars all appear to rotate clockwise around Polaris, the North Star). Learn more: http://bit.ly/2qsrG3U." Facebook. April 14, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/ontarioparks/photos/a.10150949124418248/10155906837873248/

Ontario Parks Blog. "Featured Constellations: A Water Bearer, Flying Horse and Southern Fish." Ontario Parks > Parks Blog. Sept. 5, 2020.
Available @ http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/featured-constellations-september/

Ontario Parks Blog. "Quetico: an International Dark Sky Park." Ontario Parks > Parks Blog. Feb. 23, 2021.
Available @ http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/quetico-international-dark-sky-park/

Ontario Parks Quetico Provincial Park. "Application for International Dark SkyPark Designation." Aug. 19, 2020.
Available @ https://darksky.app.box.com/s/fvgf3ghzmscz8508d8vx3xuhjiz9jvwm/file/763006542386

Peacock, Thomas D. The Forever Sky. Illustrations by Annette S. Lee. St. Paul MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2019.

Quetico Provincial Park @QueticoPP. "It’s time we learn the astronomical traditions of the diverse Indigenous cultures in the Americas. Connecting to the stories of those people who lived in Ontario long before colonization, the Indigenous peoples, is an act of shifting perspective and respect. We owe it to ourselves as well as to those who were here before us to learn these stories." Facebook. Aug. 28, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/QueticoPP/posts/1273298422832152

Quetico Provincial Park @QueticoPP. "Quetico Provincial Park is pleased to announce that it has been designated as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association. This international partnership with Heart of the Continent, Voyageurs National Park & the BWCA protects pristine night skies in NW Ontario & NE Minnesota. Ontario Parks NW." Facebook. Feb. 23, 2021.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/QueticoPP/posts/1750308561797800?__tn__=-R

Rajala, Nikki. "The Night Sky From an Ojibwe Perspective." Sept. 3, 2020.
Available @ https://nikkirajala.com/2020/09/03/the-night-sky-from-an-ojibwe-perspective/

Seitz, Greg. "Quetico Provincial Park Receives Dark Sky Designation, Joins BWCAW Protecting and Promoting Starry Skies." Quetico Superior Wilderness News > Blog. Feb. 26, 2021.
Available @ https://queticosuperior.org/blog/quetico-provincial-park-receives-dark-sky-designation-joins-american-neighbors-protecting-and-promoting-starry-skies/

Space.com Staff. "Stars Pronunciation Guide." Space.com. Dec. 13, 2006.
Available @ https://www.space.com/3250-stars-pronunciation-guide.html